POLITICAL POWER

Political science deals with political power, its influence and

distribution. In a society that person would be identified as powerful
who can influence the behaviour of other persons. The weight of
influence is judged by the amount of change in the position of the
actor influenced. Sometimes, the compliance on the part of the
influenced is very high. In such situations, the power holder requires
little efforts to exercise influence.. An example of such an influence
may be seen in the power of the father in the family. This is an
example of spontaneous influence. On the other hand, in other
instances, the compliance may be very low requiring force to impose
power. This is known as coercive influence. And it is coercive power
that matters in political science.
Generally, political power has been termed as coercive influence. It is the
use of threats or sanctions to influence others. These threats may be
accompanied by possibilities of injuries or sanctions to influence others.
While penalties or punishments are negative sanctions to power, rewards
are positive sanctions. Thus power may be defined as the capacity to
affect other’s behaviour by the use or the threat of the use of negative or
positive sanctions.
Power when involves coercion may mean the following things:

Force : It is a physical activity employing visible resources.

Domination : It takes place when an actor clearly communicates his intention to
the power addressee.
Manipulation : It is an attempt to influence other’s behaviour without
communicating the actual intention. It is often used in political situations to
avoid direct communication between the most powerful and he actual power
addressee.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF POWER

Power is a multi-dimensional concept and is usually marked by the following

characteristics or dimensions.

(1) Power is situational: Power is situational because the resources necessary for the
exercise of power change from one context to another. In the immediate aftermath of
Bangladesh’s independence, the military possession of the country was very poor.
However, with time, the military might of Bangladesh has strengthened, and the
country now is in a position to defend its borders and frontiers with sophisticated
arms and ammunitions.
(2) Power is dynamic or in a state of change: Power is not a static phenomenon. It is
dynamic in nature. Power dynamism is brought about by the advances in weapon
technology and is sophistication. Today the single technology that serves as a proof of
power capability is the ability to make computer chips critical to electronic devices
used in war.
(3) Power is relative: Power does not exist in a vacuum. Since power is about the ability
to persuade or make another actor do or not do something, calculating power is of
limited use except to measure it against the power of the other side. When assessing
capabilities, then relative power, or the comparative powers of national actors, must be
considered. Thus, we cannot say that China is powerful, but if we say China is more
powerful than India, then both the countries are placed for a relative measurement of
their power.
(4) Power is actual or potential: The distinction between actual and potential power is
important. Standing military forces with well stocked arms and ammunitions are
perhaps the most obvious example of actual power. Another example of actual power is
a strong currency based on a large gross national product (GNP). GNP is the goods and
services a country can produce in a year. The GNP of a country will be extremely
important as a source of influence at an economic summit and just as ‘actual’ as military
power in wartime. Potential power is capability available at a future time. Australia and
Canada are rich in natural resources but have relatively small populations. As they
exploit their natural wealth and combine this wealth with growing numbers of people,
Australia’s and Canada’s economic power, and perhaps their military power, will
eventually increase in the future.
(5) Power is fungible: Closely related to the distinction between actual and potential
power is the concern over the fungibility of power. To what extent can leaders
convert the units of one source of power into the units of another kind of power?
Typically, fungible power involves converting economic power to military power or
the military power to political power. Japan is an economic superpower that spends
only 1% of its GNP on military head. With its large, high-tech industrial base, Japan,
by spending 6% to 8% of its GNP on military development, could easily become a
major military power. Then, with credible military power, the Japanese could keep
sea lanes open from Japan to the Persian Gulf and other areas rather than counting
on the US to perform this task for them.
(6) Power is tangible and intangible: A final dimension of power is the distinction
between tangible and intangible power. Tangible power is a resource that is literally
touchable and even countable. Steel production, assault rifles, jet planes, helicopters,
computers, good harbours, and much else are tangible. In contrast are concerns that
are untouchable or intangible, such as wisdom, willpower, patriotism and morale.
Bases of power

Power relations depend on power bases. The power bases differ from
one culture to another and also from one level to another in the same
culture. These power bases may be as follows:

Wealth : Power due to possession of wealth shows that wealth has the
power base. This is particularly found in the capitalist societies.
Control over means : Control over means indicates possession of arms,
ammunitions and all sorts of weapons of violence. Iraq under Saddam
Hossain and North Korea under Kim Jun Un are the better examples.
Skill : Personal skill is a power basis observed in the case of powerful
individuals in different societies.
Power itself : Power over one issue area itself helps in its extension to
other issue areas. Therefore, in such cases, power itself serves as a
power basis.
Power and Influence

It is admitted by all that power and influence are co-related terms. Influence
turns into power when sanctions enter. Suppose A is an office who asks B
(another subordinate official) to obey his orders. B refuses to do the work
and A suspends B from the office. So in this case, A has used power.
Therefore, it is the process of sanctions which differentiates power from
influence in general.

Power and legitimacy

When some has power, it means he has authority. Authority is always

legitimate and backed by the power of law and common consent.

Power wielders or exercisers in a state

In a state, power is exercised by a cross-sections of the people belonging to
different organizations, associations or groups. The power exercised is
authorized by the state, and each individual exercises power in his own way
and manner. The question is : who are these individuals?
First, we have to look into the question from a Marxist perspective. Marxist
theory represents one of the earlier attempts to explain the distribution of
power in a society. According to Karl Marx, political power in every civilized
society is unevenly distributed. The ruling class is the capitalist class that owns
all means of production with power in all walks of life. The brunt of their
powerfulness is felt by the proletariat class who are without property or any
kind of power In the society. The social order is, therefore, marked by perpetual
conflict between the ruler and ruled classes.

Second, it is the elite class that exercises power in the society. The elitist
thinkers believe in the hierarchical structure of the society. A coterie of people
lies at the apex point of the hierarchy and they enjoy political power. These
persons are placed at the most ranks of the institutions holding a pivotal
position in the society, such as the military, the big corporations and the
political executives.
The elite group is a minority community and political power is always
concentrated in their hands. These political elites consider power as
cumulative. Power brings in more power. They can fully regulate the entry of
the non-elite into it.

Third, there is the exercise of power by the managerial class. With time, the
elite class faces a crisis in the capitalist society. They gradually become only a
leisured class divorced from the actual production process. The production
process gradually passes into the hands of the managerial class. Ultimately,
this managerial class takes control of the means of production and thus
receives preferential treatment. The capitalist elite class is gradually replaced
by the managerial elite. According to Burnham, the government in the modern
declining capitalist societies will be ultimately run by the managerial elite.

Fourth, the society is ruled by the political class, the elite of the minority which
is composed of superior individuals occupying economic, military or religious
possessions. Due to its organized nature, the elite minority tends to maintain
its power. However, it should be borne in mind that there can be the
intervention of non-elite class in the affairs of the elite class as the latter’s
deeds may not always be logical.
Fifthly, the state cannot always exercise its coercive power in a democratic
polity for the following reasons: (i) the political rests in the hands of the
people or their elected representatives; (ii) people are the final judges in
the field of administration; (iii) the executive is responsible to the
representatives of the people; (iv) the legislature is responsible to the
masses; (v) the judiciary takes care of the people; (vi) the constitution of
the state takes due care of the rights of different sections of the people;
(vii) the people control the government. They can even remove it or change
it; (viii) the government remembers the values of equality, liberty and
fraternity. Every citizen is given equal rights before the court of law.

Sixthly, in a totalitarian state, the coercive power of the state is more

pronounced. The disadvantages of a totalitarian state are glaring. These are
; autocratic government, supremacy of the state, elimination of
fundamental rights, narrow and aggressive nationalism, lack of
international consciousness, racism, moral degeneration, opposition to
public welfare and false propaganda.